Apparatus for installing anchoring or supporting columns in situ



sheet l April 15, 1969 A. TuRzlLLo l APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING ANCHORING OR SUPPORTING COLUMNS IN SITU original Filed May s, 1965 k....).; M..b CL ,am o o,

`INVENTOR.

"LEE A. TuRZrLLo @wuz ATTORNEY bij f d? LTL,

SUPPORTING COLUMNS IN SIT-u April 15, 1969 l.. A. TuRzlLLo sheet of 21 INVENTOR. LEE A. TURZl/ LO ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,438,212 APPARATUS FOR INSTALLING ANCHORING OR SUPPORTING `COLUMNS IN SITU Lee A. Turzillo, Bath, Ohio (2078 Glengary Road, Akron, Ohio 44313) Original application May 3, 1965, Ser. No. 452,667, now

Patent No. 3,354,657, dated Nov. 28, 1967. Divided and this application Nov. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 683,384

Int. Cl. E02d 5/ 34 U.S. Cl. 61--53.52 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for making anchor piling columns in earth situs, has drilling bit on end of casing for screwing it into ear-th situs while pumping flushing fluid into hole drilled by casing, and has means for pumping self-hardena'ble cement grout to displace the llushing uid and become hardened within the casing, spaces -and voids around the bit, and upwardly between Ithe casing and the surrounding earth. Screw means has earth-lifting device effecting enlargement of cavity to form a bulbous anchoring member on the resulting hardened concrete column.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 452,667, filed May 3, 19165, now Patent No. 3,354,657.

BACKGROUND O'F INVENTION In the present invention a hollow casing, having an apertured drill bit on its inner end, is drilled into the earth situs, and means is provided for simultaneously pumping pressurized flushing fluid through the casing and the apertured bit and into the hole being drilled. Means is also provided for pumping pressurized cement grout into the cas-ing to displace the flushing tluid, and occupying -the ushed casin g, and to occupy the spaces and voids around the bit and upwardly between the casing and surrounding earth. Screw means on lower end of the casing causes enlargement of a drilled holle and formation of a bulbous anchoring part of hardened concrete, for better securement of the resultant anchoring column in the earth.

One object of .the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for installing an anchoring or similar concrete supporting column by which the surrounding earth is retained against interference with completion of the column for its intended purpose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described, including the use of a casing which is effectively anchored in the situs to become a permanent part of the pile structure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described which is self-operative lto drill a hole or cavity which is somewhat enlarged or bulbous at the lower end of the casing, whereby a correspondingly enlarged or bulbous concrete 3,438,212 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 ice Iformation is provided around the casing to anchor it securely in place.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described by which an anchoring bar affixed to the casing is solidly embedded in centered relation in concre-te likewise anchored within the anchored casing.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described, including screw means on the casing whi-ch serves a double purpose of making a drilled hole larger than the casing, and provides an anchoring structure which becomes embedded in concrete and thereby resists outward retraction of the casing with respect to surrounding anchoring concrete.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accom-panying drawings:

IFIGURE l is a vertical cross-section, partly broken away, through an earth mass in which a supporting column has been constructed by the method of the invention, and wherein cert-ain portions of the drilling apparatus are lixedly anchored in place in accordance with the invention.

yFIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section corresponding to the lower portion of FIGURE l, but illustrating an earlier stage in the method of the invention, in which the drilled hole and the drilling equipment are tlushed with ilushing uid to remove earth therefrom.

FIGURE 3 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 2, illustrating the procedure replacing .the flushing u'id and residual earth with hardena'ble fluid, cementitious material.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal cross-section taken substantially on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

lFIGURE 5 is a horizontal cross-section taken substantially on the line 5 5 of FIGURE y2.

Referring -to the drawings, generally, and to FIGURE l, in particular, the numeral 10 designates a cylindrical hollow metal casing, assembled in a requisite number' of sections 1\1, 11 joined together by `threaded coupling means 12, according to the depth of the hole required `to be drilled in an earth situs. The lower end of the casing may have non-rotatably affixed thereon, as by welding, a drill bit 14, such as a so-called three-wing fishtail, with carbon inserts on the leading and gauge edges thereof, and having one or more openings 15, 15 axially therethrough. Screwed into the bit 14 may be a section-a1 anchoring rod 16 of required length, held axially centered within the casing, as Iby means of one or more centering spiders 17. The rod sections may be connected by suitable coupling means 18 (see FIG. 1).

For purposes to be described later, two separate coextending metal rod spirals, or threads, 19 and 20, may be stitch-welded to the lower end of the lowermost casing section 11, one spiral being extended to a height of about four feet above said lower end of the casing and the other to a height of about two feet from said lower end. The casing 10 may be rotated or screwed into the earth mass E, as by being connected through a suitable coupling unit 22 on a driven adaptor 23 of a hydraulic motor 24, which is in turn selectively vertically shiftable on a movable drill rig 25, in known manner. The adaptor 23 is provided with suitable conduit means 26 for selectively supplying water under pressure to the interior of the casing, as it is screwed into the earth, and through the holes 15 in the drill bit 14 to drill and flush a hole H of requisite depth, as shown in FIGURE 2. Separate conduit means 27 may be provided for supplying uid grout under pressure to the bottom of the drilled hole, through the casing and the holes 15 in the hit 14, as will be de- 3 scribed later in connection with method steps exemplified in FIGURES 1 and 3.

In practicing the method of the invention, the sectional casing is first affixed on `the motor 24, as described above, to have `the anchoring rod 16 affixed centrally therein, and is adjusted with the drill rig for predetermined batter at the pile driving location in the earth situs E, and with a supply of pressurized flushing fluid, such as water, in readiness.

When proper batter, or angle of the casing 10 on the leads of the drilling rig, is established, drilling is begun while water is pumped through a swivel head (not shown) of the auger motor, the casing, and the bit holes 15, at a rate of approximately 70 g.p.m. and from 100 to 200 p.s.i. pressure, initially to wash out the casing. Drilling and washing is continued until a hole of desired depth is drilled in the earth mass E. In this part of the process the screw threads 19 and 20 enlarge the hole H beyond the diameter of the casing so that the pressurized water displaces the residual earth and mud upwardly in the space around the outside of the casing and also forms a bulbous enlargement or cavity C at the bottom of the hole.

When the residual earth and mud has been sufficiently displaced and removed, and grouting is ready to commence, valves (not shown) are operated to turn off the water and to supply fiuid grout, pressurized at full capacity through motor 24, through the casing and bit into the bulbous cavity C, to displace the water from the hole H and then to ll the hole with grout, as shown in FIG- URE l, and in part in FIGURE 3. Three batches of neat grout are pumped in first, and then a required quantity of sand grout is pumped in.

At some time during the grouting operation, grout pressure and/or friction on the outside of the casing, will commence to freeze the casing against rotation. Grouting is continued until the casing pressures off at about 400 p.s.i. The grouting is further continued until the casing again pressures off at about 45() p.s.i.

Next, the motor drive 24 is reversed and the top adaptor 23 of the casing 10 is screwed off or otherwise released from the main casing 10. If the adaptor extends partially into the hole H, such reversal of the adaptor is carried out throughout the withdrawal of the adaptor from the hole.

The self-hardening fluid grout, or cementitious material, within the bulbous cavity C, the crevices extending therefrom, the outer space S, and the interior of the casing, will harden within a matter of several hours to anchor the casing and tiedown bar 16 rigidly within the earth mass, after which the motor unit 24 may be disconnected at the coupling 22. In some instances, the casing 10 may be cut or otherwise terminated as necessary at or near the earth surface. The tie down bar 16, with or without extensions joined thereto, is then ready for attachment to structures to be supported, anchored, or braced in known manner. The method described, for example, can be utilized for installation of tie down or anchoring bars at various angles, under wet or dry conditions, as for tying back sheet-piling bulkheads, concrete retaining walls, coferdams, or barriers for retaining deep excavations. The method is particularly useful for cofferdam construction because the usual necessity for provision of struts within the cofferdam is eliminated.

Modifications of the invention may ybe resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for installing anchoring or like supporting columns at an earth situs, comprising: a hollow cylindrical casing means having upper and lower ends; power means having adaptor means thereon for removable attachment to the upper end of said casing means for rotation thereof by the power means; a drilling bit affixed to the lower end of said casing means for rotation therewith into the situs to drill a hole therein; an elongated anchoring rod element affixed to said bit to extend upwardly through the casing means; fluid outlet means adjacent the lower end of the casing; means for selectively supplying fiushing liquid under pressure through said casing means, through the outlet means and upwardly within the drilled hole to enlarge the size thereof; and means for selectively supplying pressurized self-hardenable fluid cementitious material through said casing and outlet means for displacing the flushing fluid, whereby the fluid cementitious material is adapted to solidify around said anchoring element within said casing and the spaces and voids adjacent the bit and upwardly between the casing and surrounding earth, and thereby fixedly to anchor the casing in the earth situs, with said anchoring element extending above the casing means as for securing a structure to the earth.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, said casing having screwlike spiral earth-lifting means, on the outer periphery thereof adjacent said bit adapted with rotation of the casing in the situs to urge the surrounding earth upwardly in the drilled hole and thereby to effect enlargement of the space between the casing and surrounding earth.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said outlet means includes at least one aperture through said bit.

FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1962 Great Britain. 3/1964, Switzerland.

JACOB SHAPIRO, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 52-156; 61-39, 45, 53.6 

